1. At the initiative of the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Mr.Jean Ping, a consultative meeting on the Sudan took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 8 May 2010. This meeting took place in follow-up to the decision adopted by the 2 0 7 ~ ~meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), held at the level of Heads of State and Government in Abuja (Nigeria) on 29 October 2009, which endorsed the report and recommendations of the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD) and established the AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on Sudan.
2. In addition to the Chairperson of the Commission, members of the AUHIP and theCommissioner for Peace and Security for the AU, the meeting was attended by IGAD(Ethiopia, as Chair, and the Secretariat), the United Nations, the League of Arab States, theOrganization of the Islamic Conference, the European Union, neighboring countries of the
Sudan (namely, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Libya and Uganda), the Special Envoys or their representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Finland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, as well as representatives of Qatar, Italy (Chair of the IGAD Partners Forum) and the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC). Burundi
(Chair of the PSC for the month of May 2010) and Malawi, as Chair of the AU, also participated in the meeting. The AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator, the Joint Special Representative for UNAMID and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) were also in attendance.
3. The meeting, which followed the AU-UN Strategic Review Meeting, held in Addis Ababa on 7 May 2010, had the following objectives:
a) facilitate the ongoing process of democratic transformation of the country, in
line with the vision of the CPA;
b) support the implementation of the remaining provisions of the CPA and the
resolution of issues related to post-referendum arrangements;
c) reach an agreement on the way forward for the main international
organizations, including how to speed up the search for a political resolution of
the conflict in Darfur; and
d) ensure a coordinated approach and action by the international actors engaged in the Sudan.
4. The meeting reviewed and assessed the situation in the Sudan in the aftermath of the April 2010 General Elections, and in light of the progress made and challenges encountered in the implementation of the CPA and in the search for peace, security, justice and reconciliation in Darfur.
5. The meeting underlined the importance of learning lessons from the elections for the preparation and conduct of the referenda scheduled to take place in South Sudan and Abyei, and of continuing to expand the political space in the Sudan.
6. The meeting stressed that the NCP-SPLM partnership is the essential pre-requisite to steer Sudan through the challenges that lie ahead, and expressed the confidence that, with the right spirit of mutual trust, they will jointly succeed in completing the implementation of the CPA, in accordance with the timelines established by this Agreement. The meeting emphasized that the results of the referenda must be respected. At the same time, the meeting recognized the magnitude and complexity of the challenges facing the Sudanese,
the tight time frame within which they are operating and the plurality of international actors engaged in Sudan.
7. The participants pledged to do everything possible to enhance their support to the Sudanese parties, bearing in mind that the achievement of lasting peace, justice and reconciliation in Sudan requires ownership by the Sudanese, and that the overall goal is to enhance the capacity of the Sudanese to fulfill their commitments.
8. The meeting stressed that, with the peaceful holding of elections, resulting in elected representatives at all levels, a new reality has emerged, which should inform and contribute to peacemaking and peace building efforts in Darfur. In this respect, the consultative meeting expressed its support to the decision of the AU and the United Nations to convene a meeting of the AUHIP, the Joint Mediation and UNAMID in Sudan, to consult with the Sudanese Government on how best to proceed with the Darfur political and peace process, in light of the new context arising from the elections.
9. In this context, the meeting emphasized that every effort should be made to ensure that a political agreement to the crisis in Darfur is reached before the January 2011 referenda. The meeting further emphasized the need for the Darfur political process to be inclusive and to address all issues of concern to the people of Darfur, including peace and security, social and economic issues, justice and reconciliation, taking into account the AUPD recommendations and building on progress made in the Doha process, which must continue.
10. The participants pledged their full support to the AU-UN partnership and to the work being done on the ground by the AUHIP, UNMIS, UNAMID and Joint Chief Mediator with the assistance of the Government of Qatar, in the advancement of their respective mandated responsibilities, within the overall objective of a peaceful and democratic Sudan and a
holistic approach to the challenges facing the country.
11. The meeting recognized that developments in Sudan are of critical importance to the region and to the African continent, as well as to the rest of the international community. In this respect, the meeting welcomed the decision of the AU to operationalise the Consultative Forum established pursuant to the PSC decision of 29 October 2009. This Forum, which will be co-chaired by the AU and the United Nations, will bring together the neighboring countries of the Sudan, IGAD, the League of the Arab States, AU partners, including the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the EU and relevant bilateral partners, and will serve as a coordinating mechanism to support the efforts of the Sudanese parties in the implementation of the CPA, negotiation of post-referendum arrangements and the achievement of an inclusive political settlement in Darfur in the context of a holistic
approach to the challenges facing Sudan.